Beautiful Secret
by the-long-lost-strawberry
Summary: He wasn't suppose to know, that's why she never told him that she had a son before meeting him. IchiRuki slight RukiKaien
1. Shock

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo the great!

A/N: OMG another story and I'm not done with what…all of my other stories? LOL But I was stuck in my aunt's house and I started writing the first chapter of this story so yeah… I hope I don't screw this up. XD I've had this idea running for about two months and I finally decided to do something about it before I lost inspiration. It will have RukiKaien later chapters but it's mostly IchiRuki. Hopefully you like this:D

**Beautiful Secret**

Chapter One: Shock

A group that consisted of two humans, a Quincy, a Shinigami, and a cat stood firmly on top of the hill while gaping at the sight before them. They haven't even met up with Kuukaku Shiba and by the looks of the two ridiculously large stone arms in front of her house, it was obvious that she had a…distinct sense of taste to be put nicely. The self-proclaimed leader of the group was the first to snap his gaze away from the disturbing monoliths and strode past everyone with a frustrated frown.

"Come on," he barked gruffly, stopping slightly to look back at his comrades…and a cat.

"Rukia's execution is less than two weeks away, we don't have time to stand around with our thumbs up our asses," Said comment only earned him silent nods and a glare, courtesy of the Quincy.

"Why Ichigo, I didn't know you used such crude language," Yoruichi sarcastically quipped as her tiny paws quickly caught up to the hot-headed carrot top. He simply rolled his amber eyes but said nothing. The rest of the walk was quiet, during which Orihime kept throwing furtive glances at Ichigo, noticing how tense he looked.

_'He must be really worried about __Kuchiki__-san,'_she thought bitterly, feeling the green eyed monster sneaking up once again at the mention of Rukia. She felt disgusted at herself, Rukia was to be executed within a two weeks and she still couldn't shake off the slight dislike for the short girl. It wasn't that she was a horrible person, on the contrary she was quite likeable from the past interactions she had with her. It was the fact that she had managed to form a strong bond with Ichigo in such a short amount of time that drove her insane in jealousy. She could see it in his eyes how much Rukia meant to him. Hidden behind his brash remarks she could tell, due to the bags under his eyes, that he's racked with guilt and worry over Rukia's captivity. Spending restless nights, haunted with the memory of the night she left, the night she was taken away—from him. Orihime closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling, only to open them a few seconds later. Now was not the time to show her weakness, Kurosaki-kun needs her to be strong. Besides nothing was definite, there is still a small chance for her, so she kept on walking, clinging onto that small string of hope.

"Halt!" A pair of masculine voices commanded in unison. Ishida thrust his slipping glasses on the bridge of his nose upward (in what seemed for the umpteenth time that day), a gesture signifying his lack of interest of the situation. Chad stood silently, contemplating weather to shove his arm to their faces as they seem to do be doing to their own. Ichigo was about to shove his Zanpakuto elsewhere when Yoruichi interrupted his train of thought.

"I'm here on account to see Kuukaku, surely she's not to busy to see an old friend hnn?" The buff mustachioed men quickly snapped there heads downward to the speaking black cat in shock.

"Yoruichi-sama!" They yelled, and kneeled down in respect.

"Forgive us for our foolishness!"

"Yes, please come in!" Yoruichi's yellow eyes flashed in irritation at the treatment of royalty, then again she was once upon a time ago.

Upon entering the building, the scene of Ganju arm wrestling an eight year old boy (Ichigo estimated) and losing made them halt. "Damn, I knew you were pathetic when riding a pig named Annie, but this is just plain downgrading. Might as well chop off your balls and call yourself Janette," the strawberry snickered, crossing his arms across his chest. Ganju and the boy looked up, clearly surprised at having visitors. The eldest male Shiba stared intently at the smirking substitute until the sentence and presence finally sunk in.

"Y-you!"

"Yeah, last time I checked I was me," Ichigo smartly replied, still smirking.

"What the hell are you doin' here, huh?!"

"Well it sure as hell wasn't to see your ugly mug!" At this point Ganju and Ichigo were face to face and furious.

"Oh yeah, Dandelion? We'll see who'll be the ugly one after I'm finished with you!" In the sidelines Ishida thought wearily _'So he's not fighting the fact that he's ugly?'_

"Hey stop it!" A childish voice interrupted, "Uncle Ganju if the guards let them in then they must have business with Auntie Kuu," surprisingly Ganju did back down, and Ichigo wanted to get a better look at the kid who managed to that. The instant he laid his eyes on him a sliver of fear ran down his spine. _'Damn this kid has the same exact glare as __Rukia_

_'_ Sure enough Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu saw as well and gasped, thinking that he looked more like someone else, namely Ichigo. The boy's hair was short and spiked just like Ichigo's except instead of being bright orange, it was jet black. His narrowed blue-violet eyes strictly screamed Rukia. However the shape of his face and nose otherwise spelled Ichigo. It was almost as if Rukia and Ichigo ever decided to elope and have a son (much to Isshin's enjoyment) he would look exactly like this. Said berry, as thick as he was, failed to notice the resemblance.

"Oi Kid, where's your Aunt?" Ichigo rudely addressed, earning him another chilling glare from the boy. _'I could almost swear that he's __Rukia's__ son,'_at the moment that thought ran through his mind he felt the pit of his stomach tighten. Just the mere idea made his heart drop as well as a jolt of jealousy at the possibility of a lover.

"This_** kid**_ has a name," he spat venomously. Ishida, Ganju and Yoruichi stared in amusement at the substitute getting his ass chewed by a child.

"Care to tell me then?" he gritted out; already irritated by his attitude (ironically he had the same one).

"Listen up, because I don't repeat myself,"

"Thank God, like I want to keep on hearing your voice," Ichigo mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. Bad mistake because by the next second he felt a searing pain in his shin. Making the fruit crouch to nurse his wounded appendage _'__Shit! A__nd he hits like her too!'_

"Hmph," Ichigo glared at his tiny smirk.

"It's Kaien Kuch-,"

"Kaien! What the hell are you doing talking to a random Shinigami?!" Everyone turned to the source and faced another scowling woman.

"Doesn't anyone ever smile here?" Ichigo joked.

"Ironic you saying this Mr. Perma-frown," Ishida smoothly countered.

"Shut your ass up Tinkerbell,"

"Why don't you both shut up!" She yelled, tossing her hair out of her face. '_Must be the mom,' _Ichigo guessed positively.

"Auntie Kuu!"

Scratch that.

"State your business," Kuukaku demanded in a no nonsense tone. Being put on the spot, Ichigo nervously sputtered random words, in a bad attempt to form a sentence.

"Ah-well-we…I," thankfully Yoruichi came to the rescue, stopping him from making a bigger as of himself in Kuukaku's close scrutiny.

"We came in hopes that you would help us enter the Seretei," raising a perfectly sculpted brow she finally noticed the tiny cat.

"Yoruichi eh? And what's the urgency may I ask?" Immediately Ichigo stepped up before Yoruichi could answer.

"To save Ru-YEOWCH!" Instantly he glowered at the cat that 'innocently' punctured her sharp nail into his foot. Did he look like a human pincushion today?

"Kuukaku," Yoruichi stated gravely, "mind if Kai-kun sits this one out?" Kaien who was a couple of feet away failed to hear the exchange but Ganju managed to get the gist of it by his sister's change of demeanor.

"Hey Kid, mind checking if Annie is hungry? I'll join you in a bit," Kaien saw right through it and began to protest,

"But-!"

"Just do it Kaien!" Kuukaku demanded. With a defeated pout the boy gave in.

"Hai," once he was out of hearing distance Ganju errupted in a serious voice.

"Okay what the hell is going on? You guys are freaking me out-,"

"Rukia ," Yoruichi started, not caring if Ganju had more to say, "is going to be executed within thirteen days from now, and we need to enter the Seretei to rescue her," The sibling's eyes widened in horror.

"This better not be a Goddamn joke Yoruichi!" The female Shiba screamed, slamming her artificial arm against the wall behind her, splintering it to pieces.

'I assure you I would not joke about this Kuukaku," Ganju fisted his hands and, surprising everybody, declared, "I'm coming with you guys!"

"What?! Why the hell would we want you tagging--," In a split second he felt a fisted hand grab his Shihakusho and brought him closer to his face.

"I don't care what you have to say! I'm not going to let the mother of my nephew die!" A long silence filled the room, Ichigo felt like he just got stabbed by Byakuya's sword, repeatedly.

"Wh-what did you just say?" Before Ganju can conjure up a reply Kaien came running toward them in full speed.

"I knew it!" He shouted accusingly, "I knew there was something wrong with momma! Where is she?!" When no one answered he began to cry noiselessly, "What's going to happen to her?" Kuukaku knelt down to hug him which he welcomed without hesitation. Ganju slowly let go of his robes to see his crying nephew. Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad were silent with shock still in their system. Ichigo felt his world crumble.

-------------

TBC….

A/N: ZOMG Rukia having a kid with Kaien! I always liked that idea XD and Yeah this sorta sucked but it's the beginning so please bear with me! Also Kaien had a quite a bit of attitude, but I kind of wanted a him to dislike Ichigo (as he him)at first and then soon grow to respect him and admire him as Ichigo gets attached to him. I know I'm going to have fun writing the RukiKaien flashbacks :D Well it's 3:30 a.m so I'm off. Please review and tell me what you think please! Ja'ne!

AH! Sorry I forgot to say happy belated Christmas:D And might as well toss in a happy New Year too:3

**Tiny sneek**** peek**** of chapter 2!**

_No way in hel__l__ this was happening. __Rukia__ couldn__'t possibly be a mother. __Ganju__ strayed__ his gaze from __Kaien__ for a brief second and stared in bafflement at __Ichigo's__ ragged and shallow breathing. His amber eyes now a dull brown and void of emotion. She would have told him that she had a child, right? That she more than likely had a husband? __Ichigo__ slowly brought up his hand and clenched the cloth covering his chest at the burning sensation. Why was he feeling like this anyway? Why did it hurt to think that __Rukia__ had family with a man that was not him?_


	2. Confliction

Disclaimer: boom diggity dawg doggity doo oompa loompa is equivalent to: I Don't own Bleach.

A/N: I KNOW It's been a while ( okay that's an understatement) Haha well I guess I have no good excuse just pure laziness. But I finally got my own laptop so I can type whenever I want YEEESSS!! Lolz Thank you everyone who reviewed and is about to read this (surprised you forgot all about this story) XD WHY AM I BABBLING?! READ THE STORY! But first…responses! :D

**eeza77:** -hugs- first review! XD And yes I am particularly fond of that idea (Mini Kai kai Aw) and good observation cuz no they're not, I'll get more into detail of their relationship in later chapters. Hehe and there's one here ;)

**BlakValentyne-U69**: Oo Eep! I updated sorry for the wait! And yes it is Ichiruki. It'll get more obvious later on.

**Clemen**: Thank you :D Hopefully you like this chapter

**girl-bluexXxheart-torn**: OMIGOSh I know how you feel I honestly think they would have been a great pairing if…well Kaien wasn't dead and all :P LOl Poor guy, I love Kaien and that's only because he only came out twice in the series :

**rukia death kuchiki**: I will! Er..I mean I did! :D

**ColourPearl**: Aw thanks! –glomps- :3

**moonfan2012:** Thank you and here it is! I can't apologize enough for the lateness :(

**Bleachy-nii**: Thanks! And Oh man I know what you mean, I sometimes got some impending ideas for a story and then a month later BAM! I see it. LOL But hey I just say less work for me cuz now I just sit back and read XXD But then again your stories are teh best ! You would have done a better job. Hmm..I did read your latest one where Rukia is pregnant with Kaien's baby and it kicks so much ass! I would've reviewed except I have a syndrome called I-won't-log-in-cuz-I'm-such-a-lazy-ass-inosis. A real shame : /

**Sesshomaru Dogdemon**: Sorry for shattering your hopes on a fast update but here it is! Thanks for reviewing! Mwa

**Bunny-lover**:-sigh- if only…However Tite Kubo did leave al lot of space in between for us to assume that something DID go on between them heheh :)

**MistressLouise**: Thaks! And I know I felt sorry for Ichi in that chapter too :(

_**Ps- Italics are for flashbacks**_

**Chapter 2: Confliction**

No way in hell this was happening. Rukia couldn't possibly be a mother. Ganju shifted his eyes away from Kaien for a brief second and stared in puzzlement at Ichigo's quick and ragged breathing. His amber eyes now a dull brown and devoid of emotion. She would have told him that she had a child, right? That she was more than likely had a husband? Ichigo slowly brought hand over his chest and 

clutched his robes tightly at the burning sensation near his heart. Why was he feeling this way? Why did it hurt to think that Rukia had a family with a man that was not him?

"Oi what's the matter Dandelion?" The Shiba questioned curiously, Despite that he hated soul reapers, it was always family tradition to extend his friendliness to anybody in need (Not to mention that his only nephew too inherited his parent's rieatsu, it was only a matter of time until he becomes a shinigami as well). Either way his attempt was futile, it seemed that the man next to him did not hear him, or refused to listen. Everyone else noticed alarmingly at his irregular rieatsu leakage, and decided that it was best not to touch him unless they wanted to be obliterated by the tremendous force. Orihime, on the other hand, caught the glassy look in his eyes. The rain seemed to have started again, and this time there was only one place it could escape from.

Ichigo choked on air for the fifth time the past two minutes. The ache in his chest refused to leave, and now he felt a familiar prickling feeling in the back of his eyes that he had not felt in six years. Numbness had become to take over when his eyes unconsciously fell on the crying boy, the boy who was created by Rukia and the man she loved. He snapped his neck to the opposite direction, no longer able to stand the sight of him as images of his midget and a faceless man plagued his mind. His swirling depression turned into anger.

"Where is he?" He finally spoke gruffly. Ganju once again threw him another confused look at his choice of words.

"Who?" All the occupants in the room felt a shiver travel down their spine as a hollow chuckle escaped the substitute's lips.

"Who? How about the man that fathered this child? If he fucking cared for Rukia so much why am I here saving her ass instead of him?!"

"Ichigo that's enough!" Yoruchi reprimanded, fully knowing the subject he had just stumbled upon is a touchy one.

"No! I want to know where he is!" Kuukaku shot a glance to Ganju, who was at the point of smacking some sense into the boiling berry, that she had this, yet Kaien had a different plan.

"He's dead moron! And now Mama's gonna die too!" Ichigo's eyes widened and suddenly felt like a complete ass. Perhaps the reason Rukia didn't tell him anything was because she's still grieving, and now he just rubbed salt into her son's wound. He of all people should know how it feels to lose a parent; he will not stand aside and let this boy's mother die either.

"I'm sorry; I had no right to ask such a question. It was none of my business," Ganju and Kaien stayed silent, while Kuukaku began walking the opposite direction.

"Follow me; you want to get into the Seretei right?" Uryuu, Orihime, and Chad finally let out a breath they had no idea they were holding. Without another word, they all shuffled behind the female Shiba.

* * *

_Kaien couldn't hide it for much longer. He bit his lower lip as a sign that his self-control was slipping. He wanted to caress her, hold her in his arms, kiss her delicate lips, and her sleeping across from him wasn't helping him any. They had just arrived from a mission, she wanted to return to the Kuchiki Mansion but he refused to let her go so far and so late. In the end he invited or rather yet dragged her to the Shiba household. _

_Ukitake had informed him that Miyako was going on a weeklong assignment to the human world to train the new recruits, starting that same day. So instead of taking her to his house and risk the possibility of making her uncomfortable he took her to his old house where his siblings are residing. Before he even got a chance to assign her a room, the midget was asleep on the couch within the three minutes they were there. Once covering her with a blanket he decided to get some sleep too, but after entering his old room, he found his feet taking him back to where his subordinate lay sleeping. Kneeling down he laid out his crossed arms on the edge of the couch and nestled his head between them._

"_What are you doing to me, Kuchiki?" He questioned bitterly, stretching his arm and tucking the annoying bang behind her ear. Naturally, he received no answer from the sleeping girl. _

"_So that's how it's gonna be huh? Giving me the silent treatment?" He smiled, "You ungrateful midget, ignoring the great and lovable Kaien Shiba, the best Vice-Captain to walk in Seretei," a small snort escaped her miniature lips, and he froze, but then relaxed as he realized she was snoring softly. His aqua eyes traveled to her lips once more. Unconsciously he began to kneel forward, his own lips tingling in anticipation for hers._

"_I'm sorry Miyako," he whispered sadly, as his lips lightly brushed Rukia's with each syllable, "I cannot lie to myself any longer…," and he gently covered his favorite subordinate's mouth with his own. He nearly gasped at the electrical current that shot down his spine from the contact. Even if she was not awake to experience her first kiss, Kaien was in complete bliss, the night only consisted of them, and certainly not of a figure that stood behind the sliding door in complete shock and anger._

* * *

"How does it feel to be executed and never see your son again, Rukia?" The red head sneered viciously, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the prison bars.

Said woman did not stir from her seat, nor did she even flinch. Silence consumed the cell until her voice rang out in indifference.

"Of course I will regret not being able to see Kaien again, but I guess not being able to see your stupid baboon face as well is an added bonus," Renji would've shoved Zabimaru up her tiny posterior if she wasn't already in death row.

"Oi have respect for the fuku-taichou! Then again you should know all about that since you gave into _**everything**_ yours asked for, neh?" Immediately her head snapped to his direction, her once violet eyes 

darkening to near black. Renji's own widened, never seeing such a shade from all the years he has known her.

"Don't you dare talk about Kaien-dono like that again!" The smirked reversed into a frown when he heard the name.

"Still "dono" despite the fact that you fucked him and had his kid, huh?" Rukia's hands fisted onto the leg of her white kimono.

"Still hating him because I loved him and not you, huh?" She replied cooly. Renji stiffened, and leaned away from the bars, as if stung.

"Quit being delusional, I never loved you, at least not like that," he mumbled, already heading for the exit, no longer comfortable where the conversation was heading.

"Who are you trying to convince Renji? Me or yourself, because either way you didn't persuade anyone into that lie," she retorted just above a whisper. The listener paused for a second and then continued to walk away as if he ignored her completely, fervently wishing he had. When his footsteps retreated outside Rukia finally let a single tear fall from her eye.

"I'm sorry Kai-kun," she apologized to her son, nearly falling apart from the silence she got in return. Then without a reason words from the strawberry back in the human world filtered through her thoughts.

"_I thought you told me you weren't going to do anything reckless, now look at you!"_

A small smile tugged at her lips and affectionately murmured,

"I'm sorry too, idiot,"

* * *

TBC….

A/N: Alright not the best follow up chapter and it was short but what the hell I updated (AND ABOUT TIME TOO!). I particularly enjoyed writing the flashback it was fuuuuuun XXDD. I made Renji such a bastard pinapple I'm sorry but there's a reason to his bitchiness. Hehehhe Well despite taking a long break from writing I'm back! So please review and tell me what you think :D

Love you all who still read this!

Ps- To anyone who reads Indecisive Rain I want to apologize in advance. I had written a good page or so and my main computer crashed so it was lost, as well as my other stories. (That really sucked D: ) So I had to rewrite them. Also I can't seem to find the right idea yet but I'll get on it soon enough! For sure there'll be an update this month!


	3. Infiltration

Disclaimer: Not mine awww

A/N: Aw thanks for the reviews I was pretty sure everyone forgot about this story :P

**Clemen: **I'm glad to hear that because I have lots of fun writing it :D Enjoy!

**Sesshomaru Dogdemon: **Thank you! –hug-

**Bleachy-nii:** You're very welcome you deserve them XD aww I know I wanna hug him LOL and yes flashbacks are a must!! it's my favorite part to look forward into writing : ) so Happy you like them too! –glomp-

**Asian book worm: **Well I try to be original LOL pretty hard with so many fanfics out there ;) and thank you!

**Phoenix-aerith:**-gives you a tissue- ah I know I nearly cried too when I saw that I actually updated two stories in one night LOL although one is a lot better because I still have lots of ideas for this story :) heheh you have to wait until the next chapter but you can try and take a wack at guessing ; D

**Picttus: **Do not ignore the KaiRuki urge it shall surface even worse than before! LOL well you're in luck my first page is KaiRuki….though it gets IchiRuki at the end lol eh I try. And Thank you, although I'm not proud of Indecisive Rain at the moment –sighs-

**Just me and myself:** Thank you and I'll try!! : )

Chapter 3: Infiltration

_Kaien pulled away breathlessly, his soft panting fanned his subordinate's lips. He gave out a little hum as he opened his eyes to stare at her face. Everything about her enchanted him, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. Kuchiki wasn't even awake, he felt as if his lips tainted her pure soul._

"_I'm sorry," He apologized again crestfallen, "I'm too much of a coward to tell you how I feel when you're awake," with a small heave he pulled himself to his feet with the decision that it was best to go to his room before anything else happened. Before he could even turn Kaien paused with a cold sweat when he heard Rukia announce with a sigh,_

"_I love you too," _

"_K-Kuchiki?" The Vice-Captain addressed her with a mixture of disbelief and hope. The moment those words escaped her his heart began to beat rapidly and warmth spread throughout his body. Gulping to satisfy his suddenly parched throat, Kaien's sweaty palms brushed robotically brushed against his Shihakusho. How long has he waited to hear her say that to him? Despite his ever growing happiness, he looked away with furrowed brows. Some husband he turned out to be, it never occurred to him that he would fall in love with a midget that barley reached his chest…and that said midget admired his wife as an idol. Yet, even with that train of thinking, it did not overtake his soaring heart. A goofy smile appeared on his handsome face, yes, he fell for Rukia, hard._

"_I love you so much Chappy-kun!" Kaien's good mood dropped as well as his smile and scrunched up into an annoyed glare. _

"_You were dreaming about a goddamn bunny while I was-!" He growled cutting off his own sentence in humiliation. Of course, he knew it was too good to be true. Kuchiki only sees him as her teacher…and __**friend**__, never more. His stomach lurched at the thought. After what just transpired in the last few minutes, Kaien decided crossly that being in an emotional rollercoaster was no fun at all. His glare loosened its hostility and a quirky smile tugged at his lips loosely._

"_I could never stay mad at you, goodnight Rukia," He never dared to call her by her first name to her face, although sometimes the desire was too great. Bending down he stole one last kiss from her pink soft lips and made his way to get some sleep. As Kaien turns the corner a familiar female voice whispered harshly,_

"_Did you enjoy that, Kaien?"_

--

"GODDAMN IT!!" A frustrated growl echoed through the spacious room.

"Whoa Dandelion calm down," Ganju sarcastically warned, "You'll lose your petals faster that way," Ichigo clutched to the glass orb tighter as he shot the Shiba male a nasty look. He was about to toss an insulting remark until Uryuu stopped him,

"Ichigo, we're here to help Kuchiki-san not to see you get your ass chewed by Ganju," Said man grunted as he felt another stab to his ego.

"Bastard," he muttered back and returned his focus on controlling his Riatsu. He glared viciously at the glass orb in his hands hoping to God that it would just go and blow up on Ganju's face.

"Oi," a small but strong voice carried out, "Auntie Kuu said to tell you guys dinner will be served in five minutes," Everyone turned to look at Kaien and Ichigo immediately looked away.

'_It still hurts Kurosaki-kun to see him,'_ Inoue noted sadly as she followed the rest of the group to the dining room. Kaien stayed behind, eyeing the substitute Shinigami. Said Substitute decided to ignore the kid, despite that he already feeling nervous at his constant gaze.

"What do you want," Ichigo finally said, still not making eye contact. The boy snorted and crossed his arms.

"Aren't you gonna eat?"

"No,"

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No," Kaien pouted at his one worded answers until he finally decided to try his chances with one more question.

"Are you really going to save Mommy?" Ichigo visibly flinched after those words left the boys words. His heart ached painfully for more reasons than one. With Kaien calling her 'Mommy' it just seems to tossing it to his face that she indeed did have a family already with another man (albeit deceased but still this man's son). Secondly, his eyes softened, Kaien reminded him of himself when he was younger, always wanting to protect and know if his mother was alright. His resolve strengthened and then turned to lock eyes with the little boy.

"Ah, even if it kills me, I will save your Mother no matter what," He stood there in shock at first and a small grin escaped him.

"You better or you'll have to answer to me!" He shouted seriously, pointing at himself for emphases. Ichigo smirked at his feisty attitude,

"I'll hold you up to that," He responded shifting his amber eyes back to the crystal ball. Kaien smirked back and left Ichigo alone to go eat.

'_Definitely Rukia's son,'_

--

Everyone gathered outside the giant rocket, waiting for Kuukaku to tell them what to do next.

"We're just waiting for my idiot brother," she answered when Uryuu inquired about the wait. Not too soon after Ganju appeared with a scroll and Kaien trailing behind him.

"Can I go to Uncle Ganju?" By this point he was going to burst a gasket. He loved his nephew to death but if he asked him that one more time he'll probably see his Big brother again after he kills himself from smashing his head into a brick wall.

"For the last time Kaien, NO! It's too dangerous, besides you mother will kill me if she saw that I brought you with us,"

"Please?" Ganju groaned. Damn kid was stubborn, of course how could he not, he inherited the trait from both parents.

"Kaien!" Kuukau scowled, "No means no!" Kaien's face was immediately crestfallen and looked away to hide the fact that his eyes started to tear up. Ganju sympathetically patted the boy on the head, His brother always did it to him and it always calmed him down, he was pleased to know it had the same effects on his son.

"Don't cry kiddo, we're bringing your mom back," there was a small sniff and then in an indignant tone he stated, "I'm not crying! It's just that I think I'm coming down with a cold!"

Ichigo chuckled softly. Once everyone seemed satisfied Kuukaku also gave Kaien a small pat and then signaled to the giant rocket.

"Alright everybody in!" After the six followed her orders and were inside with the orb Kuukaku began her preparations. Just then Kaien dug into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with a silver amulet that held a white moon and a black sun.

"Oh shoot! I almost forgot to give this to Ichigo!" Without even giving his Aunt a warning he sprinted toward the rocket entrance and heaved through.

--

_"The Red Bronze Desire demands 36 degrees of adjustment!"_

--

Yoruichi turned to the team and yelled out rapidly, "Place your energy into the sphere, quick!" They happily obliged until Ichigo saw from the corner of his eye a small form move. However he knew what happened last time he lost focus so he ignored it.

--

_"72 Pair of shade, 13 pairs of whistle!"_

_--_

"Ichigo!" He whipped his head only to be met with violet eyes.

--

_"The ape's right hand grabs the star!"_

_--_

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Everyone turned at his outburst and once they all landed on Kaien they all thought the same thing,

_**Oh SHIT**_

--

"_Embracing 25 suns, the cradle of sand is bleeding,"_

--

"Oi Kuukaku stop this!" Ichigo roared still confused how Kaien managed to get inside the energy bubble. Yoruichi cursed and instructed firmly,



"She cannot hear us and she's already going to launch, if Kaien tries to leave he'll die, he's coming with us. Just concentrate on your energy,"

"But-," Ganju and Ichigo protested in unison,

--

_"Kuukau style version 2!"_

--

"Shit," Ganju muttered under his breath and quickly turned to Kaien, "You know how to do this right buddy?" He nodded his head in determination and took a spot in between Ganju and Ichigo and placed his hand on the sphere.

--

"**KAGIZAKI!"**

A loud boom crackled through the sky as the team flew off to the Seretei.

"Good Luck," she whispered and turned back to ask Kaien if he was hungry, however there was no Kaien, and his trail of Rietsu led to…her eyes widened in panic.

"KAIEN!!"

--

Blank walls surrounded her and the top seemed endless, she resorted to lying down in the middle of the tower floor and simply remembering her past. Maybe now she would seem Kaien, she smiled, but then it began to sag downward as a certain orange haired idiot began to replace his image. Everyday when she was in the human she was afraid to tell him that she had a son in fear.

'_In fear of what?'_ She asked herself. Each time she told anybody about her son she would light up with pride and joy, yet, when it came to Ichigo, she couldn't do it. It was as if, he would reject her. Her eyes closed painfully. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it if he did. After all, he made her feel accepted,

'_Just like Kaien,'_

She shook her head, no. Ichigo and Kaien are different. Ichigo is a big brute, that would do absolutely anything to annoy her, with a good heart. He hides his true feelings under a mask, in which she herself has removed a few times, as he's done the same for her. Somehow she had unintentionally fallen for the idiot. Many times she told herself that it was because his resemblance to Kaien but, she knew tthat wasn't true. He lived the Grand fisher attack, that's when she knew they were not the same and that she did love Ichigo Kurosaki. She smiles widely despite the circumstances. Before sleep takes hold of her his orange locks and amber eyes flit through her mind and she wishes that for one last time she could see his eyes, and taste his soft lips.

--

TBC….

A/N: Did I not say It was IchiRuki!! LOL W00T! This was kinda long actually…Ah well since I still can't turn on my TV because of the stupid Hurricane I decided to update my stories!! Kudos for me XD I hope you liked it Please Review! :D Oh dear I had fun again on the flashback. Every Chapter it's going to have a flashback until Kaien's death kiddos so I hope you like RukiKai too! LOL

I have yet to reveal the identity of the "intruder" of Rukia and Kaien's moment heheh will do next chapter ;)


	4. To Protect Her Treasure

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach...this would have happened..and it would be cancelled by the pilot chapter LOL

A/N: HI HI!! Fast Update because my cousin is going to stay with me the rest of the summer and I'm not sure if I'll update within the next two weeks. But I'm really excited writing this but not people are liking this anymore…I feel a bit sad : ( Well for those who still like this story here's the next chapter yaaay! : )

**Animefan29:** You know I always wondered that too. Out of Everybody Kaien's siblings should see the resemblance no? Ah well if there's one thing I learned throughput the years is…DON'T QUESTION ANIME…you'll go insane with all the contradictions and loopholes LOL

**Sesshomaru Dogdemon:** Aww thanks for always reviewing I'm happy you still like it ;A;

**-.StrawRabbi.-:** It sucked indeed, and then this morning the cable and internet went out LOL we just moved and the house is already shambles XD heheh I try to make him spunky like Rukia but still a kid so it's a little tough ; )

**Picctus:** Nah the Hurricane was just a category one so it was just a bunch of gust and water, nothing serious, LOl and nope I didn't wait for another to hit to update XXD –starts dancing- Thank you for still liking this story!!

**Powerful-phoenix: **Indeed I did and IchiRuki is pure win, thank you for reviewing.

**Chapter 4: To Protect Her Treasure**

"WHAT POSSESSED YOU TO COME HERE?!" Ganju hollered at his guilty nephew, who only clutched onto the necklace in his tiny hand harder.

"I just…wanted to give this to Ichigo," Everyone blinked as he opened his palm and thrust it upward to the bewildered berry. He stood there silently for a moment trying to recover from the shock. His free hand reached down to grab gingerly, his thumb rubbing the smooth silver in fascination. Once Ganju took a closer look at the jewelry his entire body tensed.

"You mean...you risked your life just to give me _**this**_?" The Subtitute asked skeptically, still toying around with the amulet in his fingers. Kaien huffed angrily and scowled, one that even made Orihime shiver.

"It belongs to Mommy, she told me Daddy gave it to her the night he died, telling her that it would protect her," If it was more possible, the air tensed more than their first meeting in the mansion. Ichigo began to shake, it was unnoticeable at first but within seconds he was struggling to keep the amulet from falling.

"ICHIGO!" Yoruichi reprimanded, "Keep your focus unless you want to kill us all!"

"Kurosaki-kun…," Orihime whispered, seeing the pain once again flash in his amber eyes. He lessened his reitsu input but the ride was still bumpy. Kaien stared at him in confusion, wondering why he was reacting the way he was.

"I-I," he choked out, the pain in his chest returning to full force. His stomach began convulsing and he was sure that he would end up emptying it if the terrible sensation didn't stop soon. Not trusting his vocal chords, Ichigo simply took the boy's hand and returned the gift. Kaien frowned deeper, trying to give it back to Ichigo, who simply refused and continued to tremble a little.

"What's the matter? I'm letting you borrow it so it could protect you on your journey!" Chad, Uryuu, and Orihime could only stare at the scene. Apparently Kaien is too naïve and innocent to know just how much pain he was actually causing Rukia's savior.

"I c-can't," He stuttered, somewhat relieved that he finally managed to conjure up an answer. How could he accept it? It was a sacred symbol between Rukia and her deceased lover, a memory that he couldn't defile. Kaien continued to somehow try to convince him otherwise, even tried to slip it in his pocket; luckily Ganju interrupted clearly seeing Ichigo hurting.

"Hey kid, why don't you hold on to that for now? I'm sure Dandelion here would just lose it if he were to hang on to it," his nephew had a stubborn frown on his lips but considering the other Shiba's tone that meant leave-it-alone-unless-you-want-me-to-tell-your-mom he decided to follow his suggestion. As expected, Ichigo didn't reply, still a little shook up. He took in a deep breath and raised his head with resignation.

"Yeah, besides Rukia gave that to you…meaning she wants you to be safe," The tiny boy opened his mouth to protest but then quickly shut it, and he smiled lightly.

"Ah,"



To everyone it seemed as if Ichigo finally recovered, but they were wrong…oh so wrong. The pain did not subside, even if he discarded the amulet, it was still there because Rukia's son was there. He was tangible proof that she could never hold him in the same pedestal as that man who gave her a child. He chuckled ruefully, Zangetsu must be very angry now, since he should be to the point of drowning.

--

"_K-Kuukaku?"_ _Kaien whispered in panic. He eyed his sister, who held a disgusted and disbelieving look on her face._

"_How can you do this to Miyako-nee?! Is this how you return her love, by kissing that Kuchiki brat?!" Kaien was slightly angered by her little insult on Rukia, but shame engulfed him._

"_I...you don't understand," the next thing he knew he felt a stinging pain on his right cheek and his back harshly hitting the floor. Kaien sighed, rubbing his cheek, he should have seen that coming, typical Shiba anger. Unknown to both parties, the midget whom the argument was over woke up from a loud noise. Her violet eyes snapped open when she noticed that it wasn't the Kuchiki Estates, rather it was-_

"_Maybe you're right I don't understand!" Rukia whipped her head where she heard Kaien-dono's sister angered whisper._

"_Kuukaku…," another voice responded. She felt her heart pump faster at the sound of his voice. _

"_Kaien-dono," her breath caught in her throat. The hallway was thick with tension; even she could feel it from her distance. She knew better than to step into a family feud, and to eavesdrop, but her curiosity got the best of her, she got up and stealthily neared the hallway._

"_Maybe I don't understand how you can kiss another woman while you're already married to a wonderful one. Much less, said woman you kissed doesn't even have an inkling that you did that!" Rukia felt her blood drain and clamped her hand over her mouth, hoping they didn't hear her gasp. Kaien-dono kissed…someone else? '_That's not me?' _her mind concluded. Shaking her head from such thoughts she knew she had to keep hearing to find out who the mystery woman was, even if it killed her. Besides, she scoffed sadly, he would never kiss a little weakling girl like herself._

"_I don't know when it happened," he started, unevenly but then began to gain confidence, "but I know what I feel for her is much stronger than I do for Miyako," Rukia felt her heart shatter. Another punch and he was sent tumbling farther into the hallway, he didn't try to stop because he knew he deserved it._

"_How could you say that?!" She seethed, wishing her punches would knock some sense into her brother. Kaien stood up from the wooded floor and wiped the blood off his lips. His teal eyes glinting in the moonlight as he finally confessed his darkest secret._

"_Because I love her, I love Rukia Kuchiki, the woman my heart belongs to, more than anyone," There were so many emotions that passed through her frame from his confession, shock, guilt, excitement, joy, _

_and above all, loved. Rukia felt tears prickle the back of her eyes from elation. Kaien-dono loved her! She couldn't stop the small sob that escaped her and in a flash Kuukaku and Kaien were in front of her._

"_Kaien-dono," She hoarsely addressed, not paying attention to Kuukaku who glowered at her intensely. _

"_Ku…chi…ki," Kaein murmured numbly, his confidence was broken the second he laid his eyes on hers, silently berating himself for not sensing his surroundings. He wanted to drive Nejibana through his heart for making her cry. Her tears were more than likely caused by her disgust with him. Now because of his selfish desire, Rukia lost the only true friendship she really had. He wanted to apologize, but felt that he couldn't, because he did not regret loving her. She was a beautiful, strong-willed and caring person, who deserved better than him. He bit his lip and turned on his heel, walking to his room. __**'**_**Coward**_**,'**__ his mind sneered. He needed to think, but a tiny hand latched onto his wrist, refusing to let him walk any farther._

_--_

"SHIT!" Ichigo panicked as he saw the reiatsu bubble explode and everybody floating to different directions.

"Hang on to the person closest to you!" the black cat shouted over the roaring wind. Uryuu immediately latched onto Orihime while Chad simply gave a nod of approval as Yoruichi pounced onto his shoulder. Ichigo frantically looked for Kaien, and his face paled when he saw him near the edge of the tornado, any further and he'll be ejected.

"KAIEN!!" Ichigo yelled at the top of his lungs, heaving his body to his direction.

"ICHIGO!" He screamed back, stretching his arm toward him. Ganju turned just in time and felt fear also fill his being. He paddled warily toward the two.

"Just hang on!" The orange haired teen reassured, his amber orbs caught sight oh Kaien's violet ones, they looked so much like Rukia's that It drove him even further to save him. There was fear and desperation in those eyes, something he never wanted to see in her. Ganju grabbed his ankle and Ichigo gave him a glance of acknowledgment. With one last push he managed to grab Kaien and pulled him closer, caging him from any danger.

"Don't worry Kaien, I won't let anything happen to you, and I'm sure your parents won't either," He said, staring at the amulet around his neck sadly. Kaien simply nodded, and half-wondered if this is how it felt to have a father protecting him.

_--_

_TBC…._



A/N: WOW ..SHORT!! LOL but fast update and hopefully I'll get more reviews yeah? –puppy dog stare- I wouldn't mind reaching…eh 35 at least. I'll still update if I don't but this would make me feel a lot better : D Thanks for Reading and hope you Review w


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